The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1887-11-03
THE PASSION OF ROMAN ePlcuRss.
His Many Varieties OF Porcins Dishes
Preparation Of n Famous Condim snt.
Cincinnati Enauirer

cincinnati Enquirer
Mr.. Jefferson gives graphic picture
Of the delights OF q Roman cook over
ton rolled down his cheeks when the
fat porker dropped dead at his feet; and
as he wiped from the PROSTATE Great
ure's lips the stains of the sweet intoi-
eating drink which had induced the
fatal apoplexy, he smiled with tender
exultation. lie had reason to love the
animal which afforded him materials
for his daintiest preparations. His
varieties of porcine dishes are
almost countless. The spit, the grid
iron, the frying pan, the oven, the
boiler and the stew-pan were all en-
ployed by turns in preparing the flesh,
which was the passion Of Roman ep-
icures, and to which the culinary pro-
fessors could impart no less than eighty
different Tlavors
The Apician cook was never prouder
of himself and his profession than when
he shifted the fragrant exhalations of a
small baked pig, which had been stuffed
with compound of thrushes, beccaficos,
minced pluck, dates, onions, snails,
malows, beets, leeks, celery, cabbage,
coriander seeds, pepper, pinenuts and
garum. Ills hands trembled with fine
emotion rs he made a deep incision
down the porker's back and poured into
it hot mixture of pepper, rue, garum,
sweet wine, honey and oil, thickened
with frumenti.
The preparation abov, mentioned un-
der the name of ''gaIdm appears to
have been the condimGnt in greatest de-
mand. No banquet vas approved un-
less garum dominated the flavor OF most
of the dishes 1t was used in soups and
stews, in ragouts and sausages, in force
meats aud salmagundis of fishes. I'm
pro ing most materials, and agreeing
with all, it was poured literally on
flesh, fish. game and lowl and hundreds
of messes, each of which contained from
q do ell to fifty ingredients
And now, at the risk of destroying
somel o ly S appetite for his single luare
meal of the week. on the Sabbath day.
a description of the method OF preparing
this famous oman condiment, without
which no meal was a ,uare one in the
sense of being satisfactory
This exquisite condiment,' says our
high authority, WAS obtained from the
intestines, gills and blood of fishes,
great and small, stirred together with
salt, and exposed in an open vat to the
sun until the compound was putrid
Nothing is known as to the proportions
of the several piscine ingredients but
while small fishes were thrown wholG
into the vessel, the large tishes-such as
funny, sturgeon and mackerel-col,
tributed nothing to the mess save their
gills, internal parts and juices. Whom
putrefaction had done its work wine AMI
spice herbs were added to the Ii iues-
cent garbage Finally the liquor of
this tOothsome compound was strained
and sent from Greece to the Roman
market"
If there is anything in modern cook
cry that nearly approaches the infamous
compound above described as the indis
pensable adjunct of the square meal of
the ancient Romans, certainly it Is not
described in any of the thousand and
one cook books, the attempt to follow
Hhich has brought discomfort and dis
appointment to so many an otherwise
sensible American housewi e.